“Knowing that so many fans came to the Maracanã for the first time makes a movie play in my head. When we become players, everything changes. But the closeness with the fans is very important. On Saturday, it did us good to see the fans recognize what we did after the draw, considering everything that happened. It was great, in a peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, we won't have their support tomorrow, but we'll have this positive mindset,” said the number 4.

For Vinicius Junior, the open training session brought back childhood memories in the stands and a sense of accomplishment. “I think this union between the fans and the players is important. It will help us a lot. I just got to the locker room and saw the video of the little boy talking about his first time at the Maracanã. I remember the first time I came with my dad, it was a Flamengo vs. São Paulo game, I was four years old and I fulfilled a dream. Today, we are fulfilling the dream of many children. Tuesday afternoons aren't for just anyone. This impresses us and certainly impresses anyone who is a Flamengo fan. After training, Julio Cesar told me that this crowd is really different. If I weren't a player, I would certainly be there,” said the boy.

The number 20 was also asked about the match against Santa Fé. “The expectation is positive for us to have a good game tomorrow, continuing the work we did against Vitória. It's about having a lot of technique and strength to try and take advantage, just like Paquetá did in the other game. I'm always ready to help, regardless of the moment,” said Vinicius.

“Playing without fans is a different experience. Football demands fans, and the Conmebol Libertadores even more so. Their absence is a negative point. We will go in focused so as not to repeat what happened in the last home game. Everyone needs to communicate a lot, to be very attentive. We have been training this compactness, we made progress in that in the last game. This type of organization requires a lot of work and synchronization, so that's what we're looking for,” Juan analyzed.

Taking the energy from the open training session into Wednesday's game, Vinicius Junior already has a strategy to remember the celebration with the fans. “We have to visualize from the moment we stepped in there and saw that spectacle. It's difficult to play without fans, but let's imagine the millions of red and black supporters who will be cheering for us at home. We'll take all of that with us to seek victory,” he said.

Flamengo will take the field this Wednesday (18), at 21:45 pm, against Independiente Santa Fé at Maracanã. The match is valid for the third round of the Conmebol Libertadores.